THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 1, 2006--Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN), today announced the appointment of Yuji Orihara to the position of president and representative director, Amgen KK, effective immediately. Amgen KK was formed in 1992 in Japan as a wholly owned subsidiary of Amgen Inc. Orihara will be responsible for all aspects of Amgen's commercial efforts in Japan and will be based at the Amgen KK headquarters in Tokyo.
Amgen is building Amgen KK to become a full commercial operation and a robust and growing clinical research operation. Over the next several years, Amgen's commercial operations in Japan are expected to expand significantly as the company prepares for the potential launch of its late-stage pipeline products. Japan is a priority market for Amgen and the company expects to increase its current staff of approximately 120 in Japan to more than 300 by 2009.
"Yuji's significant experience in Japan's pharmaceutical industry make him exceptionally qualified to meet the challenges of achieving our goal of bringing Amgen's vital medicines to patients in Japan," said George Morrow, executive vice president, Global Commercial Operations. "I am confident that he will prove a strong leader and a collaborative partner within Amgen's global operations to ensure organizational success."
Orihara joins Amgen KK from Novartis Pharma K.K. where he most recently served as senior managing director in charge of the Oncology, Transplantation/Immunology/Infectious Diseases, and Ophthalmic Business Units, with responsibility for a sales force of 400 people and generating $500 million in sales. In addition, Orihara also led Business Development and Licensing as well as Market Access and Public Policy for Novartis Japan. Prior to Novartis, Orihara was the president of UCB Japan where he was successful in building a significant sales force and commercializing a series of products that yielded revenues in excess of $300 million.
Orihara received his undergraduate degree in Chemical and Applied Physics Engineering from Keio University in Tokyo and his master's degree in Business Administration from New York University.
About Amgen
Amgen discovers, develops and delivers innovative human therapeutics. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen was one of the first companies to realize the new science's promise by bringing safe, effective medicines from lab, to manufacturing plant, to patient. Amgen therapeutics have changed the practice of medicine, helping millions of people around the world in the fight against cancer, kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and other serious illnesses. With a deep and broad pipeline of potential new medicines, Amgen remains committed to advancing science to dramatically improve people's lives. To learn more about our pioneering science and our vital medicines, visit www.amgen.com.
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SOURCE: Amgen